Sad Desk Salad

A Novel

About the Book

As a former editor for popular websites, including Slate and Jezebel, Jessica Grose intimately understands the realities of life in the blogosphere--and she employs this knowledge to hilarious effect in her edgy and timely debut novel, Sad Desk Salad. Grose's story of a savvy blogger who stumbles upon an irresistible scoop--one that could cause irreparable damage to a young woman's life and reputation--and must reconcile her true values with the ruthless demands of a gossip- and reality-obsessed culture is a stinging and wildly funny indictment of America’s obsession with celebrity dirt. This fictional behind-the-scenes look at a booming online industry is smart and sharp contemporary women’s fiction, a The Devil Wears Prada for the twenty-teens.

Book Description

As a writer for Chick Habit, an increasingly popular women's website, Alex Lyons gets paid to be a bitch. She's churning out several posts a day, and she saves her juiciest ones for blog prime time, when working women eat their sad desk salads in their offices. Alex tells herself she's fulfilling her dream of being a professional writer; so what if it means being glued to her couch and her laptop from six a.m. to six p.m., scouring the web in search of the next big celebrity scandal? Since Chick Habit's parent company keeps close tabs on page views, Alex knows her job is always at risk.

So when an anonymous tipster sends her the year's most salacious story—a politico's squeaky-clean Ivy League daughter caught in a very R-rated activity—it's a no-brainer. But is Alex really willing to ruin the girl's life by igniting the next Internet feeding frenzy? And what she doesn't yet realize is how this big scoop is about to send her own life spiraling out of control.

Educator and Librarian Resources

Critical Praise

“Fun . . . Grose takes what could be a heavy subject--ethical choices and their repercussions--and lightens it. . . An enjoyable debut with a message.” — Publishers Weekly

“Rollicking . . . A quick-witted insider’s view of the blogosphere, media pandering, Internet privacy and the difficulty of being a good girl in a bad, bad world.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Sad Desk Salad by Jessica Grose is the Devil Wears Prada for the blogger age. A laser focused snapshot of our time, the novel gives readers an insider’s perspective on the 24/7 grindhouse of celebrity-obsessed new media. Funny and heartfelt, a must-read.”- — Valerie Frankel, author of Four of a Kind

“Jessica Grose is a smart, engaging, new voice in fiction. She will make you think anew about celebrity culture, modern feminism, and the perils of living online. She is also very funny. So put your work aside, open your sad desk salad, and read this book!” — Amy Sohn, author of Motherland and Prospect Park West

“A whip-smart, lacerating, laugh-out-loud look at what it’s like to be young, smart and trying to make it in the big city.” — Jennifer Weiner

“Grose offers an affectionate send-up of the slovenly blogger stereotype, creating a quick-witted heroine who lusts after egg sandwiches and takes comfort in an extravagantly stinky muumuu...delivered with Grose’s appealing good humor...A sense of serendipity lingers over the adventures of new-media chick lit.” — New Republic

HarperCollins Reader

When you purchase e-books from HarperCollins, you can read it on our HarperCollins Reader App that is available on your iPhone/iPad, Android or Kindle Fire.

We encourage you to use the HC Reader App since it supports our type of e-book files and you may have some trouble with a different reader app.

Instructions

Please make sure you have a HarperCollins Account. If you purchase/have purchased an e-book from HarperCollins, this is your account login and password. Otherwise, please click here to register.

Download the HC Reader App on iPhone/iPad, Android or Kindle Fire and sign in with your HarperCollins account (your username is an e-mail address). Please note that Kindle Fire users must edit their settings (Settings < Device) to allow installation of apps in order to download the HC Reader App. This App is not available in the Amazon App Store.